How Diet Can Prevent Heart Attacks

12/4/2012 12:56PM

A study of 32,000 people shows that a heart-healthy diet is a big factor in reducing the risk of a second heart attack, not just medication. Jennifer Corbett Dooren has details on Lunch Break. Photo: AP.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... he is not only is enough to prevent heart disease patients ... we left the secret well ... it may actually be in the region for Corbett Dorren joined us right now ... from Washington DC namely search out this week Jennifer talking about this now most people ... I know that diet can help prevent heart disease ... we were less sure about is what it did for people Ardi had heart disease ... what are they finding ... exactly um well really what they're finding is not ... the same thing at work ... that's that's been shown to help prevent heart disease is that a healthy diet ... helps prevent second heart attacks or second strokes in people who already have heart disease ... and in terms of how old how much it helps to meet with many staff any figures on that ... well ... what the researchers did this is a big study involved thirty two thousand people who were already on medications to treat heart disease there I'm on ... high blood pressure medication ... vacation brings out here cluster also all the stuff he should be on it yet have ... heart disease ... and then they looked at the impact of diet ... and the Brentel these folks be gave them a couple different questionnaires and they bring tell these folks come ... from for the best I it's the worst diet ... and the best I it's ... no surprise and they are the ones that had a lot of pre expects the polls fish nuts whole grains ... that that that it reinstalled I ... and those people have the lowest rates of then having a second heart attack or stroke ... and silver over five-year Perry over a five-year period in some cases then look recommended at a hearing in people with thirty five percent ... less likely to die from a repeat heart attack and that's a pretty powerful number if you are you thinking that maybe your medications Dart just doing everything you need me that's enough incentive to perhaps change your diet ... I wonder I you know how it did this study looked at how many people ... actually do ... worry about their diet when they're on meds are too many people just assume I mean on taking the time my doctor told me till I can eat whatever I want ... write this to the study didn't look about what the study research but talked to said that yes there certainly are some the people who think that what I'm taking medication of data I don't need to ... worry as much about lifestyle changes ... and is the really suggests that it's just never too late to start eating healthy ... I was so many studies don't know if there's ever so much to turn a fatal flaw on them and that people who ... might tinted ... eat better Juniper just in general take care of themselves better so it sort of hard to know we were there any critics of some of these findings ... yes I mean I can be hard to tease out what the doctors I talked to did say that ... even though the research is that in this study did all these different statistical calculations to try to control for the effects of weight or ... smoking or whether people exercise think generally people who eat better also tend to have other healthy habits they ... tend to exercise their dogs they don't smoke ... so it can be hard to tease the song last ... night yet one more piece of proof that what you he does matter Jennifer think semester being with a tray ...